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Winnipeg to host the 2014 Juno Awards

The Juno Awards “road trip” is heading to Canada’s centre stage for the second time as The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) and broadcast partner CTV, announced last week that Winnipeg will host The 2014 Juno Awards and Juno Week celebrations, March 24-30. The 43rd annual Juno Awards will broadcast on CTV from the MTS Centre on Sunday, March 30, 2014.

Juno Week 2014 will touch down on the province through the combined efforts of the Government of Manitoba and the City of Winnipeg.

The announcement was made today at a Winnipeg media conference by Melanie Berry, President & CEO, CARAS/The Juno Awards, The Honourable Greg Selinger, Premier of Manitoba, his Worship Sam Katz, Mayor of Winnipeg, and the 2014 Winnipeg Host Committee Co-Chairs, Carole Vivier and Kenny Boyce.

The Juno Awards return to Winnipeg after the huge success of The 2005 Juno Awards in Winnipeg, hosted by comedian Brett Butt.

“Renowned for its music icons, exciting festivals, and home to the Jets, Winnipeg is a natural stop for Canada’s Music Awards,” said Melanie Berry, President & CEO, CARAS/The Juno Awards. “Winnipeg has cultivated artists that have become part of our national identity — from Neil Young and The Guess Who to Chantal Kreviazuk and Lenny Breau. Winnipeg’s enthusiastic music fans have helped launch numerous rock ‘n’ roll legends, and we’re excited for what’s in store when we return in 2014.”

“When CTV brought Canadians the Juno Awards from Winnipeg in 2005, 1.5 million viewers tuned in to witness k.d. lang’s musical love letter to Neil Young,” said Phil King, President CTV Programming and Sports. “We can’t wait to return to this hotbed of music culture in 2014 to deliver even more unforgettable music moments to viewers across the country.”

Winnipeg, the provincial capital of Manitoba, is located at the forks of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, the geographic centre of North America. The prairie city is home to major attractions — including the NHL’s Jets, Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra — and exhilarating events, galleries and cultural festivals.

The Juno Awards history dates back to 1970 when the inaugural Gold Leaf Awards were held in Toronto as an industry awards event. In 1971, it became recognized as the Juno Awards in honour of Pierre Juneau, the first chairman of the Canadian Radio-Television Commission (CRTC). Today, the JUNO Awards have evolved from a one-day awards event to a weeklong celebration featuring events that attract thousands of music fans from across the country and abroad.

Since CTV first partnered with CARAS in 2002, the Juno Awards have travelled city to city across Canada starting in St. John’s, and followed by Ottawa (2003), Edmonton (2004), Winnipeg (2005), Halifax (2006), Saskatoon (2007), Calgary (2008), Vancouver (2009), St. John’s (2010), Toronto (2011), Ottawa (2012) and next year in Regina (2013).